Edmonds to Snoqualmie or Blood Sacrifice and other forms of deviance

May 7 - 50.5 miles - 5 hours of seat time.

If anyone who is contemplating doing the GART is reading this, I highly recommend you follow the posted route through downtown Seattle. Not to see a flying fish at the Pike Place Market, but to experience the Burke-Gilman trail in all its glory. Don't get me wrong, downtown Seattle is glorious, in particular the waterfront district is in amazing shape after a decade of recent work removing the old viaduct. But 'The Burke' has been around for much longer.

It would not be hyperbole to say that the amount of sweat I have dropped upon the Burke Gilman is measured in gallons. Okay, it would be hyperbole, because most of the sweat dried on me, my gear, or the bike. Suffice it to say, I've been around the Burke a lot.

Which is why I didn't ride to Bainbridge and cross to Seattle. I took the Kingston ferry to Edmonds and rode from Edmonds to the Issaquah plateau.

A portion of a converted golf course near Lake Balinger

The climb out of Edmonds to get to Interurban trail was actually pleasant, and you get glimpse of the new(ish) light rail before turning south on the Interurban trail which will eventually give you an opportunity to head South East into Bothel where you'll spend a little time on the Burke before you hit the Sammamish river trail.

Then you get to Redmond, and cross over to the East Sammamish trail and see the aftermath of a teenager learning the limits of traction.

Cars not allowed here.

The rest of the ride through Issaquah was entirely pleasant until I started the climb towards Preston. Things got a little complicated here with a little hike-a-bike up a hill.

You don't ride up this, unless you make money riding bicycles.

And a little bit after this strenuous climb, a bridge engineer, or perhaps a troll, tells you you can not cross a bridge.

YOU...shall not PASS!

I took a moment to consider. I looked at the bridge. I assessed its somewhat dilapidated appearance. I thought about going back down the switch backs I'd just climbed. I made a choice, and I have no regrets. What choice would you have made?

After that there was an interesting moment where I learned that Google maps will sometimes make an assumption that if you are on a bicycle, you will be happy to take a route that is not exactly bike friendly. Sure, you can walk your bike on a hiking trail, but this is sometimes less than ideal. The final ascent to the town of Snoqualmie Ridge involved about a 1 mile hike up a trail into the West side of that neighborhood. I called Bunny and asked for a ride home. As I made the final ascent to the top of the town....eager to find a local watering hole, the worst possible thing happened.

My legs were tired, but I powered up this one last hill knowing that a beer was a mere two blocks away, and as I came to a stop at an intersection, my balance was off, and I did that most ego shattering slow motion fall that occurs when you can't get your lizard brain to try to kick out of the pedal you are putting your weight on. So I got the uphill foot out it's pedal....just as I hit the ground. The shame of denying help from 2 or 3 onlookers was more painful than my knee. I giggled as I finally extracted my right foot from the right pedal. I must have been a sight walking into the place that was clearly more wine bar than.....you know....bar bar. But the hostess was swift to produce a lager, which I rapidly quaffed just as Bunny arrived to take me home.

This will keep the trip demons at bay as I climb up Snoqualmie pass. Or will it?